Shades of Gray
by Opalinesque
Summary: When two dead worlds collide, what will come of it? Mirai Trunks + Own Character. R and R Pleeze, this is more interesting than it sounds (I stink at writing summaries)! Language warning... much angst ^^;;
1. Chapter One: Black

Disclaimer: DBZ and whatever shows up (especially some of Opal's attacks in chapters to come) do NOT belong to me! So don't sue meeeee…. *wails* Opal is mine, so in the words of my older sis Juuhachi-gou: "Rip us off and DIE!" 

Opal: Exacticly. Besides, I recently got swearing lessons after falling into the South Park universe. Getting your ears, eyebrows, and any other body hair burned off by profanity is painful.

Author's note: A biiiiiiiig thank you to my friends: Myuusa, Lugia-kun, Andreas (go little sis, the Queen of dis! BWAHAHA!), Kasey, Jerono, Kudo, Green Bean AKA Flute, Jeremiah-me, and the eternally paranoid one. He's joined FBI's Witness Protection Program, so he shall be known as Mr. Pretty Pink Bow. 

And of course... 

Uji-gami no Trunks! Daisuke, ashke! Hehehe…

And now, on with the show!

__

There is never just black or white; there are only all the…

****

Shades of Gray

Chapter One: Black

***T***

Trunks glared at the two jinzouningen, the devilish duo who had destroyed his life.

He had come along way since he had last fought them in this time line; he was a lot stronger.

Gohan's soul would finally be at rest.

"You die NOW, jinzouningen."

Juunana-gou smirked. "Yeah, right. That's the umpteenth time you've said that. It hasn't happened yet. And besides, even if you manage to beat us this time, we have… a new recruit."

With that, he turned and called over his shoulder.

"OI! Seikimatsu! Do you want to meet our favorite plaything, or not?"

He paused a minute. 

And then…

FWOOSH!

Something came hurtling up from a dead building, then zipped over to Juunana-gou and Juuhachi-gou.

It was a girl. She had Juunana-gou's face and his black hair, but her eyes and body were that of Juuhachi-gou. A single bit of spiked bangs, buzz-saw shaped, hung over the right side of her face.

"Meet our younger sister, Jinzouningen Seikimatsu. It means, omega. Or end," Juuhachi-gou smiled. "Specifically, _your_ end." 

Trunks growled.

"We'll see about that. EyAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!"

***O***

Opal sighed and looked out the window. She was too busy to do her homework; she HAD to figure out a way to make a good fanfic about her and the almighty Purple Haired One or else she'd never get any rest.

__

Not that I'd get any rest anyway; all these threats of nuclear war are starting to get to me… And those dreams aren't helping, either.

Opal had had dreams lately: of space, of dying, of explosions… And of eyes.

Deep blue and ice blue eyes that stared at her and never stopped.

__

Ack. I feel like I'm in the Spirits Within or something…

Fwah. At this rate, I'll never get ANYTHING done!

And that's when she felt it. A low rumble, like that of an airplane.

__

Or a… no. No, it couldn't be…!

And then the nuke landed.

***

__

Unhh… NANI! WHAT HAPPENED!

Opal sat up and winced; she had a pounding headache.

Then she looked down.

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL?!?!?!?"

She was in a crater. An impossibly BIG crater.

But that wasn't why she had yelled.

It was her.

Long black hair grew down past her waist; a large, spiky portion of it fell into her eyes. Her body was different; more slim and strong than it had ever been while she lived.

__

While I lived_… Am I dead? A reincarnation in someone else's body, because Fate needed me alive?_

Then she realized why she looked so familiar.

__

This body… the buzz-saw bangs… Could I be living on as my alter ego, in another dimension?

She stood up slowly and looked around.

Two things caught her eye: a blue vest, with two red conjoined triangles on it, and a red bandanna.

__

Whoa… its like the beginning of Walk this World, or something…

Well, that gives me a clue. 

I have to find Capsule Corp. Then I'll see what happens.

***

Opal wandered for a while, muttering to herself. Despite the several shocks handed to her, she was slipping quite quickly into her old behavior: Talking to herself and daydreaming. 

"Fwah… I wonder if I'm as 'famous' as the other jinzouningen? I hope not… Someone might recognize me… And then…"

She didn't have to have a vivid imagination to know what would happen. They'd call Trunks, he'd come running (flying?), and she'd die.

Again.

"Lovely… just lovely. Maybe I should take the WTW advice and print out the 'Good Little Jinzouningen' business cards. Is there any chance I'll survive long enough to at least morn for my parents, my friends?! Goshicles!"

She sighed.

"Maybe I should try to use some of my powers. After all, I _am_ Android Omega now. She should at least know how to fly… I better hide first though. I don't wanna get caught."

Opal ran quickly into a cave she spotted quickly. It was a ruined area, and she was pretty sure no one'd be around.

"Alrighty then. Let's try this, and see if it works the way I imagined…"

She exhaled slowly, relaxing herself and managing to stay somewhat tense at the same time.

"Feel the pull of the energy lift you…"

Opal jumped, and spun around, hissing.

"Let it hold you up…"

Opal looked around nervously, looking for the source of that horrible, computer generated version of Gero's voice. It continued droning on while she looked, until she found the speaker and promptly punched it in.

The speaker exploded and needless to say, the voice stopped.

"Thank Kami-sama…" she said, sweating. She knew where she was now.

Hell on earth, and the very last place she wanted to be.

Doctor Gero's Lab.

"Perfect. Just PERFECT! I end up looking for a hidey-hole and boy, did I sure find it…"

She sat down, shaking, until she regained her calm. Then she looked around.

"Might as well raid the place… after all, no ones using it…"

She got up, still shaking, and began hunting through the various crap for a map.

"Gotcha!"

She looked at it. It was dilapidated and would probably fall to pieces the second she let go of it, but at least she had a general idea of where to go now.

"Thank You Kami-sama! I am OUT of here!" she said, then ran out the 'Hole Formerly Known as Door', before her newfound claustrophobia killed her.

"Funny. I was never claustrophobic before… Aww, who cares? I sure don't and no one else is listening…"

Her face grew serious, and she turned to look at the setting sun.

"Damn. It's getting late… I better find somewhere to stay before I'm forced to sleep in _there_…Yuck."

She glanced around and saw a small settlement, to her surprise.

"Why'd anyone want to live out here? Stupid, if you ask me… but maybe I'll have a place to sleep tonight. As long as they don't recognize me as jinzouningen, I'm fine."

She headed toward the glow of the houses.


	2. Chapter Two: Umber

Disclaimer: DBZ and whatever shows up (especially some of Opal's attacks in chapters to come) do NOT belong to me! So don't sue meeeee…. *wails* Opal is mine, so in the words of my older sis Juuhachi-gou: "Rip us off and DIE!" 

Opal: Exacticly. Besides, I recently got swearing lessons after falling into the South Park universe. Getting your ears, eyebrows, and any other body hair burned off by profanity is painful.

Author's note: A biiiiiiiig thank you to my friends: Opal, Ikaria (AKA the REAL Seikimatsu), Myuusa, Lugia-kun, Runi-chan, Andreas (go little sis, the Queen of dis! BWAHAHA!), Kasey, jErOnO, Kudo, Green Bean AKA Flute, Cyan, and JeReMy. 

And of course... 

Uji-gami no Trunks! Daisuki, ashke! Hehehe…

Note that this is a loooooong chapter. I almost made it even longer (because this story is to be EXACTLY five chapters long) but instead, I have a killer cliffhanger! Pleeze review if j00 want more!

And now, on with the show!

__

There is never just black or white; there are only all the…

****

Shades of Gray

Chapter Two: Umber

***O***

Opal had staggered into town awhile ago. It had been a long walk from Gero's lab to get there, and jinzouningen or not, she was dead tired. Not to mention she could barely breath. She would have gladly curled up in the middle of the road if it meant sleep.

In fact, she would have done that if the girl hadn't brought her in.

She looked meditatively at her cup of tea. The raven-haired woman brought in a blanket and draped it over her.

"A…ariga…tou…" Her voice was barely a whisper. She promptly went into a coughing fit, and the girl quickly held her up until she could support herself.

"Are you all right?" 

The voice was familiar… something, a memory from her world hit her. The sound of a boy and girl talking, the boy's embarrassed, the girl's cocky. The girl's voice matched the one that was speaking to her… except it lacked that cocky confidence; there was a sadness there that she didn't recognize.

"V…videl...?" That was her name all right, and now she knew why she was so different: Her father had been killed by the jinzouningen in this place, this time. Maybe even killed by her.

The girl smiled. "That's me all right. I'm going to call a doctor; you don't look so good."

Panic gripped her. "No! I'm… fine…" Her voice trailed off as she began coughing up all the dust she had breathed in the hills.

Videl scowled.

"Like hell! You are sick, and I'm getting you a doctor. Besides, I already called for her."

__

Her?

Videl grinned. 

"You should be honored… The famous Ms. Brief and her son are coming to see you."

__

Oh SHIT!!!!!

"No! I'm fine! Please! Don't let them find me…!" Her mind fell into blind terror as she looked up frantically into Videl's eyes.

Too late, she realized that her bangs had fallen away.

Videl backed away in terror.

"_Jinzouningen!"_

***V***

Videl stared, wide eyed at the killing machine in front of her. Adrenaline pounded through her body.

She was going to die… just like her father had, at the hands of the jinzouningen.

"No… wait…" the jinzouningen rasped out, a pleading look in her inhuman eyes, before she collapsed again, coughing.

Jinzouningen or not, the girl was most definitely not a threat, and wouldn't be one for some time.

Videl bit her lip in indecision. The girl didn't look like Juunana or Juuhachi-gou, other than the eyes and her body shape. She could have been their sister, though…

__

Their sister! Of course! She was coming from Dr. Gero's lab, after all… 

She must be incomplete or something… She's as much something to fear as any normal kid with untrained potential is. 

Videl relaxed, then helped the girl sit up. She was still coughing, and blood, or something like it, was beginning to leak from the side of her mouth.

The girl looked up, dubious hope in her eyes. Videl rocked her slightly, willing her to calm down and stop coughing: she could suffocate if it went on any further.

There was a beeping sound from the front of her house. The girl's head shot up, and she began shaking. Hard.

"I won't let them hurt you," Videl said quietly, then got up to let Bulma in.

***O***

Opal shook in fright as Videl got up to answer the door. She was as terrified as Videl had been of her, a couple of minutes ago, and not afraid to show it.

She focused on listening to what Videl and Bulma were saying, and managed to stop.

"…sick. She's coughing up blood, too."

"Shoot. That's not good. Did you try to calm her down?" That must be Bulma; there was a no-nonsense quality to that voice.

A third voice entered the conversation, and Opal began shaking all over again.

"Anything I can do to help?"

It was his voice, and as much as she had loved it, before this afternoon, she now feared it. Call that voice what you like: the angel of death, the grim reaper, Shinigami… or in her case, Trunks.

Videl cut in nervously. "Not a good idea… she freaked when I told her you were coming, Trunks-san."

"Oh, okay then…"

Footsteps. Opal froze as, despite Videl's reassurance, fear flooded her. She began coughing again; pain biting deep and ripping gashes into her lungs.

Videl rushed into the room as she heard her cough again. She calmed Opal down enough to stop coughing (almost), then whispered, "Don't open your eyes until I explain who you are to Bulma."

She nodded, the movement barely visible among the shaking that wracked her body.

"Sore wa sore wa!" Exclaimed the older woman. "I'm glad I brought the heavy artillery…" 

She pulled out a small capsule, which quickly turned into an oxygen mask.

"Here… this will suck the dirt out of your lungs."

Opal grabbed it, grateful for anything to stop the pain.

"Poor baby…" Bulma said, looking at the younger woman, fighting against the dust that was now coating her lungs. "Videl, what happened to her?"

Videl shook her head. "I have no idea… other than of what she is."

Bulma blinked. "What… what do you mean…"

Videl sighed. "I might as well tell you… I found her in the road coming down from… you know." She jerked a thumb in the direction of the mad doctor's hideout.

"You mean…" Bulma gasped, looking like she was about to faint.

"Yes. That's why I didn't want Trunks coming in; he would kill her." Videl brushed away some of the bangs from Opal's eyes. "She's harmless, though… Dr. Gero must have never finished her. She's as dangerous as a baby kitten."

"Are you sure?" 

Videl nodded. "She was more afraid of me than I of her, I think… You can open your eyes now."

Opal opened them a slit… then opened them all the way.

Bulma was exactly as she remembered, with long teal hair in a ponytail. She was staring at Opal with unsure eyes that looked strangely like that of her old friend Myuusa.

Opal shrunk into herself, trying to look non-threatening. She didn't want anyone to be scared of her, who didn't even know how to throw a punch accurately. Much less wield frying pans or the like with the same skill Bulma had.

Her lungs felt better now; she could breath without much pain, and the vacuum in it had stopped. She took it off, VERY carefully.

"Do you… do you feel any better?"

Bulma spoke hesitantly, as if expecting her to suddenly bite, to show her jinzouningen side.

Opal did neither. She nodded, then shivered. 

"I don't remember much… but I'm sorry…for what I did to you."

Bulma's eyes got even wider. 

"YOU!"

"Bulma! Calm down!"

It was too late for that.

"You were the one that broke my arm! You nearly killed me!"

Opal bowed her head. She could remember the events leading to her… no, Seikimatsu's demise now.

FLASH

__

Seikimatsu growled in anger. The arrogant purple haired brat had destroyed her brother and sister, and now DARED to try to do the same to her!

Well. She would just have to teach him a lesson, now wouldn't she?

With a laugh, she sped off toward CC.

FLASH

__

Seikimatsu laughed at the groveling ningen before her. She had tortured it a little, breaking its arm, paying back the pain that her brother and sister had felt at the hands of this ningen's brat. She lifted one hand and prepared to finish the job.

She never got to do it. Before she could move, a sharp pain came in her back… and her mind went to pieces as she died.

FLASH

Tears began to streak their way down Opal's muddy face.

__

I almost killed her. Oh gods, I deserve it if Trunks kills me. I DESERVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

She broke down completely, sobbing into her own arms. It wasn't until Videl touched her shoulder that she realized she had spoken out loud.

"Let him in. Let him kill me. I deserve to die. Oh my gods, I am a god damn fucking MURDERER!!!!!!!!!!!"

Bulma reached out, to try to comfort her. Then sighed.

"She's right. Trunks should see her."

Bulma got up, to get him… just as Trunks walked in.

"I heard everything," he said.

Opal looked up, into his cobalt eyes, meeting them with her own ice tinged ones.

And it was plain from the misery and despair and outright PAIN in those eyes, her supposedly inhuman eyes, that she did not want to live anymore.

__

I've made my gallows. Now I just have to hang on them…

*********

Muwahahahahahahah! ANGSTY CLIFFHANGER! *sticks tongue out*

I refuse to update any more chapters until I get at least FIVE REVIEWS! FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE!

I DON'T CARE IF THEY'RE FLAMES (as long as they're not about the fact that Trunks is _theirs_, yada yada)! So, my readers… Tell your friends if you want more! Get them to sign! I don't care if they haven't read the story, I just want more REVIEWS!!!!!! *bursts into tears*


	3. Chapter Three: Gray

Disclaimer: DBZ and whatever shows up (especially some of Opal's attacks in chapters to come) do NOT belong to me! So don't sue meeeee…. *wails* Opal is mine, so in the words of my older sis Juuhachi-gou: "Rip us off and DIE!" 

Opal: Exacticly. Besides, I recently got swearing lessons after falling into the South Park universe. Getting your ears, eyebrows, and any other body hair burned off by profanity is painful.

Author's note: A biiiiiiiig thank you to my friends: Opal, Ikaria (AKA the REAL Seikimatsu), Myuusa, Lugia-kun, Runi-chan, Andreas (go little sis, the Queen of dis! BWAHAHA!), Kasey, Jerono, Kudo, Cyan, and Jeremy. 

And of course... 

Uji-gami no Trunks! Daisuki, ashke! Hehehe…

And speaking of the devil: Has anyone noticed how _ruthless_ Trunks acts at first in most of the Juuhachi/Trunks fics (take Walk This World as an example)? He acts more like Vegeta (or the Jinzouningen, ; p) than himself. So, in this fic, I display the lesser-known, gentler (and certainly more rational!) side of Mirai no Trunks: Teddy Bear Trunks (as I call him)!

Opal: O.O

Me: You try thinking of a good name. *pouts*

And now, on with the show! 

__

There is never just black or white; there are only all the…

****

Shades of Gray

Chapter Three: Gray

***O***

She stared at the purple haired man, daring him to kill her. Wanting it with all her soul.

__

I just want to see my parents again… Ikaria, Meri, Kasey… all my friends are gone.

Kami, please let me go to be with them!

***T***

He sighed, and made the judgment that this girl's life depended on.

Before anyone could move, one fist shot out and connected with the back of the girls neck, in the same move that a certain person had used on him years ago.

The girl crumpled like an empty sack. Trunks barely managed to catch her before she hit the floor.

Videl and Bulma looked at him with surprised eyes.

"I don't know who this girl is… but I do know she is not Seikimatsu. Seikimatsu would never have let herself become so vulnerable… even if it meant killing herself before anyone found her in that state."

__

Beside, he added to himself, _she wouldn't need to act helpless if she wanted to kill us all. She is stronger than I am; the only reason I killed her last time was because she wasn't expecting an electric attack…_

Much to his dismay, he could think of at least 10 reasons why the girl he was now holding in his arms was NOT Seikimatsu.

__

Huh. So much for the 'run in and kill the evil jinzouningen' plan. My father would be disgusted beyond belief. Gohan wouldn't be disgusted, but… I just can't kill her, at least not until she acts offensively again. There is no honor in killing an innocent girl.

***O***

Opal woke up, much, much, later. She blinked.

__

He didn't kill me…

A single tear trickled down one cheek.

She sighed.

__

Ai sheva. Ikaria would probably be real angry with me for stealing her job of being the angsty person. I have to move on. Besides, they're not really dead, are they? Just back where they should be… 

She sat up… and froze.

Lying next to her (AN: not in the bed with her, you hentai!) was Trunks. He was half in a chair, but had quite obviously fallen asleep (and face first) onto the bed she was in.

__

Probably wanted to make sure I didn't want to wake up alone… Yeah right.

Wishful thinking. 

She blinked as she recognized that last thought. 

__

Nicole. Thank God you had to go to Oregon with your choir… you'll be fine.

She sighed, and lay back down, inspecting her guard. And trying not to laugh; he was drooling a bit.

__

Muwahaha. I can blackmail him if I ever get an urge for caramel… Well, at least he's not drooling as much as Lugia did; I'd have to buy a boat! 'super_drooley@hotmail.com' indeed.

He stirred and woke up.

Opal grinned as cheerfully as she could manage with her heart torn in two.

"You're drooling, you know that?"

The purple-haired youth promptly went pink (oooh, alliteration) and wiped his mouth, then looked at her.

"You're finally awake, huh? Feel like doing something suicidal anytime soon?" he said, with sarcasm heavy in his voice.

She winced. "No… I sorta got over that… I still feel like some sort of life form that exists lower than pond scum, tho. Its not that you almost become a murderer and then get amnesia that leaves you as a different person everyday..."

Another tear found its way down her cheek.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. Its not that you find yourself trying to be nice to the person that you should _hate _everyday either. " He looked out the window. "Damn, my father has got to be rolling in his grave… presumably to try to get out here and knock some Saiya-jin style 'sense' into me."

Opal blinked. "You're being nicer than they portrayed you…" she muttered under her breath, remembering many hours of reading fanfics happily. 

He gave her a confused look. "What did you say?"

"Uhm… that you're being nicer than I expected you to be to an ex-murderer," she hastily covered up.

"You're really hung up on the murderer thing, aren't you?"

"What sane human, artificial or not wouldn't be? Besides, I hate violence." (AN: Fine talk for one who throws at least ten paper fans at me a day!)

He cracked up.

"What?"

"S-sorry… its just that… haha… you being a jinzouningen and saying… heh… I hate violence---" by now he had stopped laughing—"its sort of an oxymoron."

She made a face at him. "Well, you are both an ox, a moron, AND an oxymoron. Whoever heard of a Saiya-jin that had a rational thought process?"

He began laughing again. So did she.


	4. Chapter Four: Silver

Disclaimer: DBZ and whatever shows up (especially some of Opal's attacks in chapters to come) do NOT belong to me! So don't sue meeeee…. *wails* Opal is mine, so in the words of my older sis Juuhachi-gou: "Rip us off and DIE!" 

Opal: Exacticly. Besides, I recently got swearing lessons after falling into the South Park universe. Getting your ears, eyebrows, and any other body hair burned off by profanity is painful.

Author's note: A biiiiiiiig thank you to my friends: Opal, Ikaria (AKA the REAL Seikimatsu), Myuusa, Lugia-kun, Runi-chan, Andreas (go little sis, the Queen of dis! BWAHAHA!), Kasey, Jerono, Kudo, Cyan, and Jeremy. 

And of course... 

Uji-gami no Trunks! Daisuki, ashke! Hehehe…

WE HAVE MUSHINESS BETWEEN OPAL AND TRUNKS! FINALLY! If you think Trunks is yours, console yourself with this thought: this is a completely different Trunks. Go ahead and like the Mirai Trunks of DBZ, but Mr. Teddy Bear Trunks here is MINE. If you have to, feel free to print out several copies of this story to burn and otherwise mutilate.

And now, on with the show! 

__

There is never just black or white; there are only all the…

****

Shades of Gray

Chapter Four: Silver

***O***

"ON YOUR LEFT!" Opal yelled, grinning, as she threw a punch.

Trunks grunted as she hit him hard in the _right_ side of his ribs.

"Cheater," he winced; despite the fact that she was only half trained, she was _still_ more powerful than he was. That punch would leave a bruise in the morning.

She twinkled at him. "Who says? Besides, if this was a real fight---"

He finished for her. "---There would be no rules, I know. Its not fair that you get to quote the stuff that _I _should be quoting at you, seeing as I'm your sensei…"

"Be-da," was her only reply, as she promptly pulled the classic Japanese insult and shot through his legs to kick him in the small of the back.

"Hey--- UMPH!"

He spun around to face thin air… then hit the ground, unconscious, as Opal yanked out his sword and hit him over the head with the butt.

"Trunks? You okay?"

No response.

Opal promptly began swearing; this wasn't the first time she had accidentally knocked him out. She drifted lower…

And froze as his arms shot up to grab her feet. Before she could move, Trunks had grabbed her.

She struggled, kicking at him and hissing, cat style.

"Hanash'te, anata hiretsukan no hentai!

"Henta--- AHH! KISAMA!"

Opal had managed to get enough leverage to kick him, where it counted.

"Kuso… what was that for?"

She gave him a glare that could have easily frozen hell over.

"You _grabbed _me," she groused, and folded her arms over her chest to make sure he knew _where _he had grabbed her.

Trunks promptly went very, very, red,

"A-anou… g-g-gomen…!"

She twinkled again.

"Na, s'okay. You don't fight with girls often, after all…"

"Hn…"

It had been about 6 months since Opal had arrived in that world, in the body of one of the evil jinzouningen. It had taken a while for her to get used to things, to shed her cloak of morning and get on with her life. Fortunately, it had taken about the same amount of time for Bulma and the other towns-people to get used to her; by the time she was ready to live again, the world was ready for her. One thing had helped very much though: despite how he had been portrayed in many a fanfic, Trunks had been very reasonable about the whole thing. Unlike his many jinzouningen-hating counterparts, he _believed_ that she was not Seikimatsu, and could have named many reasons why.

And, of course, now that she was happy and feeling reasonably at home, she had taken up her old Trunks worshipping ways.

__

Heh. I actually didn't mind being grabbed that_ much. Ooh, naughty naughty. And to think I called _him _a hentai…_

Her fanfic knowledge was very useful, actually. When Cell had shown up, she had had the idea of pulling a _Walk This World_ and talking Bulma into cloning the Z-senshi. So far it was working, but she wasn't going to tell Trunks a thing about it anyway. She had also come up with several other, less major ideas: the BOSS from _The Taming of Trunks, _for example.

__

Damn. What's taking so long? Piccolo should be waking up about now…

There was a sudden ki blip as _something _shot out of CC and headed straight for her.

_Ai sheva. Me and my big mouth…_

"All right, you. You are going to _pay_ for killing me…" came the rusty sounding voice of the Namekseijin.

_WTF?!?!_

Several strong punches hit her across the jaw. She winced and slid under his guard, then hit the ground and played dead, in the hopes he would stop attacking her.

"Piccolo! DAME DA!"

"CHIKUSO! YAMETE!!!!!!!!!!!"

Two voices sounded out at once. Opal opened her eyes a little bit.

"Seiki-saisho-chan! It's okay. Momotte ageru."

She pulled herself to her feet and rolled her eyes.

"Protect me? Shumimasen, but whom did I just beat in a sparring match, less than five minutes ago? And what does seiki-saisho mean?" He'd used that nickname before.

He grinned, embarrassed. "Touché. The nickname means the opposite of 'Seikimatsu': beginning of a century."

Piccolo interrupted, imitating Opal. "Shumimasen, but WHY THE HELL ARE YOU PROTECTING THE JINZOUNINGEN THAT KILLED YOUR FATHER AND I?!?!"

__

Killed… oh. Oh no, I couldn't have…!

An old fear swelled within her.

Trunks blinked. "Killed… my father…?"

"Yes. That… that thing… killed all of us. The other two jinzouningen weren't strong enough for us then… so they sic'd _her_ on us instead."

Silence. For one moment, a horrible silence. Then, a heart-rending cry split the air as Opal took off, Piccolo's words ringing in her ears.

_"Killed us. Killed all of us. GOD DAMN FUCKING MURDERER!"_

*******

Opal landed, finally, on a plateau, not too far away. There was a large crater in the middle, and a red bandanna and a blue vest could be seen, weighed down by bits of rocks.

It was the place where she had first come into this world… and at the same time, the place of her death.

_No no no get out of my head… GET OUT!_

For she was Seikimatsu in a way; one moment she would be her, then Seiki-saisho/Opal another. One moment, a girl stuck in a strange world, the next, a killer who had given in to a temporary weakness. 

She was afraid she would stop being able to tell which was which.

"Seiki-saisho!"

_Leave me alone… LEAVE ME ALONE!_

"_Opal._"

She looked up, face stained with tears, tears she should not, could not be shedding. She wasn't human, right?

Or was she?

She couldn't remember anymore…

Strong arms picked her up, wiped away her tears.

"Trunks…?"

"Shhh… I'm here."

The girl/jinzouningen/? sobbed brokenly.

"What… what am I…?"

Still holding her, the purple haired boy looked at her. 

And, this time, he really saw her. He saw _her, _the mass of sadness, angst, and confusion that she'd become.

And said the exact right words.

"Seikimatsu, Seiki-saisho… Opal… it doesn't matter. You are _you, _and a rose, by any other name, would _still_ smell just as sweet."

A sound of clapping. "Bravo… bravo. How very touching."

Another voice. " A beautiful speech…"

Finally, the third and last. "Hn… you would make such a cute couple. Too bad you won't live that long…"

*******

Muwahahaha! Yet another evil cliffhanger! Not too big of one tho… you can prob'ly guess who two of the mystery people are. Especially with that quote I popped in… I'll do a special drawing for the first person to review with the correct answer for those two speakers… Kasey, you don't count. I KNOW you know who two of the people are (especially since that one quote is our little favorite inside joke!) but I'll do a drawing for you anyway, V^_^


	5. Chapter Five: White

I'm getting tired of this stupid disclaimer thing… so instead… SUE ME AND DIE! MUWAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!! 

Opal: O.O I think the stress of writing this fanfic has gotten to you…. Thank goodness its over…

Me: Who says! I say it's just begun! *laughs evilly*

Author's note: A biiiiiiiig thank you to my friends: Opal, Ikaria (AKA the REAL Seikimatsu), Myuusa, Lugia-kun, Runi-chan, Andreas (go little sis, the Queen of dis! BWAHAHA!), Kasey, Jerono, Kudo, Cyan, and Jeremy. 

And of course... 

Uji-gami no Trunks! Daisuki, ashke! Hehehe…

'Tis the action chappy! *looks happy* I have discovered that the reason my writing stinks is cause I don't say what people are doing while talking; I ain't that descriptive. ^_^* I shall work on that in this chapter.

And now, on with the show! 

__

There is never just black or white; there are only all the…

****

Shades of Gray

Chapter Five: White

Trunks' head snapped up, his hair flailing about his enraged face.

"YOU!"

A low, sadistic chuckle emerged from the dust-clouds… along with three shadows.

Juunana-gou grinned.

"What, you didn't REALLY think we were dead, did you?"

"Of course he did, Juunana-gou… he is only a pathetic ningen after all,"

Replied Juuhachi-gou, her gold-white locks standing out strongly from the dust blowing around them.

The third voice joined in, deadly familiar to both Opal and Trunks' ears.

"He's a Saiya-jin, actually… but then, Saiya-jin are just ningen with hair problems."

Seikimatsu, the REAL Seikimatsu, stepped out of the dust cloud. The two scars under each eye were clear as her hair was tossed about, and the symbol of the Omega gleamed on her forehead, branded there by her own evil.

Opal moaned, low in her throat, like a dying animal, her reality being torn apart.

Trunks sprang to his feet, his boots kicking up small sand puffs as he held Opal closer to him.

"I won't let you touch her, jinzouningen. You'll have to get through ME first!"

Seikimatsu giggled seductively. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"No… _NO_."

Opal pulled herself out of Trunks' grasp. Her voice was weak, but echoed unervingly throughout the dust storm.

"A man… or woman… must face themselves… before they face… their enemy." She pulled in a deep breath. "Seikimatsu, I have been deliberately avoiding you. Not. Any. More."

And before anyone could move, she _launched _herself at her evil counterpart.

Seikimatsu's eyes shot wide in surprise as she found herself being punched, kicked, and basically getting beat up… by the one she was _supposed_ to be converting.

One fist shot out.

Opal flew back with a cry of pain and hit the side of the crater, which promptly collapsed on her.

Still weak from her own insanity and already plenty bruised from the sparring match with Trunks… she couldn't get up.

"SEIKI-SAISHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

Trunks screamed in rage as the familiar gold white flames engulfed him.

__

I let Gohan die, I let all those innocent people die. I CAN'T let anyone else die… especially not the one I l…

His reverie was interrupted by a sharp kick to the face, and a double slap that made him gasp.

He kicked back, angrily, and _hit_, his boot leaving a nice imprint in Juunana-gou's face. He let loose the one attack that would destroy both of the weaker Jinzouningen, and hurt the strong.

"FINAL…"

The light growing inside his cupped palms revealed the now-terrified expressions on Juunana-gou's and Juuhachi-gou's faces.

With a wild yell of pain for those they had killed, he released it.

"_FLASH!_"

The resulting explosion cleared the arena, giving Trunks a good look at Opal.

She was lying, bleeding from too many wounds to count. Her hair was spread out, flickering almost lifelessly in the wind.

Even as he watched, a sword--- _his sword!_ --- stabbed her in the heart.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO~!"

He ran over to her, heedless of the last jinzouningen flying above. All that mattered was that she knew before she died, that he told her…

He reached her, the blood soaking into his clothes, on his hands. _Her_ blood.

"Opal… oh Kami, don't leave… I love you! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

A cruel chuckle from above. "Don't worry, Trunks… She won't leave you. You'll leave her."

A small ki blast left him lying dead.

Opal's eyes opened. "No… I love you… too…"

Seikimatsu laughed again, landing beside his body. "Too bad, he can't hear you any more… I _might _have spared him if he had left Onii-chan and Onee-chan alone. But noooooo… Oh well. Don't feel _too _bad; you'll see him again in a minute…"

The sword came down again, and everything went black.

*******

Slowly, slowly, the gray haze fogging Opal's mind faded away.

She woke up.

"Uhn…nh?"

"Thank god!" Trunks yelped, promptly dropping her medical charts (which he was reading, yet again, to make sure she was all right.) and vaulted over the chair he was in to get to her bed.

"Trunks…kun…?"

Her throat hurt, she was sore all over, and she had a headache bad enough to kill a Super Saiya-jin. But she was alive, which was a lot more than she had expected.

"What…"

He cut her off. "Sh, don't talk. You're hurt enough as it is. You want to know what happened?"

She nodded weakly, wincing as her headache increased.

"After that hiretsukan Piccolo blurted out… you know, you ran off. I found you in a coma, lying inside the same crater that I killed the jinzouningen at. Okaa-san said you were fine, but… I was afraid you wouldn't wake up. And then who would I have sparred with?" He said, making it into a weak joke.

Opal blinked… then felt a single tear slip down her cheek, followed by two more.

__

A dream. The whole thing was just a dream…and he never admitted to loving me, and I never really told him. I should have known that, especially after he called me Opal. I never did tell him my real name…

"What's wrong?"

Opal looked up, snapping out of her thoughts. Trunks had a supremely worried look on, and there was another emotion on his face that Opal could not name.

Another tear slipped its way down her cheek.

"Nothing…" was her barely whispered response. She turned her head, still crying quietly, when…

"Opal… not all of it… was a dream…"

She froze, as Trunks very gently cupped her face in one hand and turned her face up so she could see him 

And gasped… for the proud warrior that he had become, the saver of his world… was crying. Crying just the same as she.

Then she couldn't see anymore, as with a sob, she held on to him, held on to the last thing she had. And knew, that she would never, could never, let go.

*******

Alrighty people! That's the end of this fanfic… but hopefully not the end of the series!

Yup! That's right! I am hoping to make this into a nice long series, just like the fic this was originally based on: Walk This World!

Should I do it, or not? Please tell me what you think! Review! And now, for the preview of what I hope to be the next episode (it won't be any where _near_ as serious as this):

*******

O-haaaaaa-yo! It's me, Opal! Next time on Dragon Ball: Mirai no Densetsu, the other Z warriors awaken! How will Vegeta react to my relationship with Trunks? **_How dare you touch my son, you tin can!_** Is there any chance of acceptance by these proud Saiya-jin? And why in the HFIL is Trunks acting so much like his otou-san? **_PUT ME DOWN, YOU KISAMA!!!_** I'll be waiting for next time in "Troubled Waters," the second chapter of the Legends of the Future! Ja ne!


End file.
